


Fever + Murdoc

by Gretti_writes



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [11]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: FebuWhump2021, Fever, Gen, Hallucinations, Hurt/Comfort, Mistaken Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29359326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gretti_writes/pseuds/Gretti_writes
Summary: Mac becomes unwell and starts hallucinating....
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140011
Comments: 7
Kudos: 25





	Fever + Murdoc

**Author's Note:**

> Febuwhump Day 11 Prompt - Hallucinating
> 
> Enjoy!

Mac had been unwell for days. It had started off as just a cough, Mac continually brushing off Jack’s concern. Then Matty sent him home ill and there was no hiding it. Jack had taken on his usual role as helicopter parent. Of course, Mac spent most of the time moaning that he was fine and didn’t need Jack treating him like a child.

However, by the third night of Mac’s enforced sick leave, he had started to run a fever. Jack tried everything to cool him down, but he just kept getting hotter and, in the end, Jack was forced to take Mac to Medical.

Dr Reeves meets them at the door.

‘Hey Jack. I understand that Mac has been running a fever for the last day or so. Here, put him on this gurney’.

Jack gently lays a hot and sweaty Mac on the gurney and they’re off on their way to a treatment room.

‘Yeah doc. I’ve tried Tylenol and water, cool sheets and cloths. I even tried to get him under the shower. That didn’t go well. The fever is just going up. It’s not breaking’.

‘You did the right thing bringing him in. Let’s get him across to the bed. I’m going to get an IV started. Try and replenish some of his lost fluids’. Dr Reeves gets the thermometer from beside the bed. ‘103.2. We need to get that down. I’m going to get Ben to come in with a cooling blanket and we’ll get some ice around his neck, under the arms and by the groin. You know the drill’.

Jack nods. He can’t help but think this is his fault. He should have forced Mac to come in sooner. Now he just watches his kid. The blonde hair stuck to Mac’s head with sweat. The flushed rosy cheeks. The once loose top, now clinging to Mac’s chest. Mac isn’t conscious. He’s been sleeping on and off for hours and when Jack couldn’t rouse him, the decision to take him to Medical was made.

Ben comes in, pushing a trolley laden with equipment.

‘I’m just going to wash him down, get him in a gown and sort out the blanket and ice’.

Jack gets up to help. He feels like he’s got to do something.

‘Let me help. Be quicker with two’, Jack replies.

Jack holds up a rag doll Mac, as Ben removes his top and starts wiping him down. They thread Mac’s limp arms through the gown and tie it loosely around his neck. Next comes Mac’s bottom half. Jack isn’t fazed. They’ve spent enough time in the sandbox together that they’ve seen each other in the buff. Plus, this is a necessary evil.

Once Mac is clean and dry, Ben hooks up the cooling blanket and positions the ice. After he’s started an IV and taken some vitals, he leaves Jack alone with Mac.

Jack once again takes a seat next to a hospital bed with his kid in it. There’s nothing to do but wait now and hope the fever breaks.

**MacJackMacJackMacJackMacJackMacJackMacJackMacJack**

Mac wakes, feeling like he is in a furnace. He recognises that he’s in Medical after a quick look around. At least, he thinks he is, until he spots the person sat by his bed and his breath catches in his throat.

Mac’s adrenaline starts to increase, and he tries to move away.

‘What are you doing here?’ he snaps.

‘Hey, you’re awake. How are you feeling?’

‘Get away from me! How are you here?’ Mac shouts, ignoring the other man’s question. Mac frantically looks towards the door, desperately hoping someone he knows will appear any minute. He starts to fiddle with the monitoring equipment. Ripping off the BP cuff and pulse ox. Then he notices the IV and that goes too.

‘Did you drug me?’ Mac asks.

‘Wait, what are you doing. Mac, you’re in Medical. You’ve been unwell. You need to leave that alone’.

The man starts to stand, planning on coming closer but Mac isn’t going to let that happen. He drops the bedrail and throws off the covers. He lurches to standing, feeling slightly dizzy in the process.

Mac scoffs. ‘In Medical? Unwell. Why would you care about that Murdoc? Surely you love it when I’m unwell. What have you done to me? Where are we? Why are you here?’

Murdoc stands on the other side of the bed, a look of puzzlement on his face. Mac’s not going to fall for it though. He starts to edge himself towards the door.

‘Mac. It’s me, Jack. You were unwell, remember? Matty made you take sick leave. Your fever got really high, so I had to bring you into Medical. That’s where you are’, Murdoc says.

‘No, no. You aren’t going to trick me like that. I think I know Jack and you’re not Jack’. Mac backs out the door, Murdoc still frozen in place on the other side of the bed. Mac’s head is now spinning and he’s starting to shake but he blames it on the drugs. He stumbles down the corridor, looking for a way out when he almost walks into a nurse.

‘Hey Mac. What’s going on? I’m not sure you should be out of bed at the moment. Come on, let’s get you back there’. Ben goes to take Mac’s arm, concerned he might collapse any second.

Mac yanks his arm away.

‘Don’t touch me. Murdoc is here. We have to go!’

At that moment, Mac spots Murdoc exiting his room and walking up the corridor towards him, arms raised, hands outstretched.

‘See! Murdoc. We need to go’. Mac turns to try and leave, and Ben grabs hold of his arm again. Mac tries to yank free and can’t. Before he’s aware of what is happening, another nurse has got hold of his other arm.

‘Get off me! What are you doing? Murdoc is right there’. Mac looks at them incredulously, still trying to free himself from their grasp.

Dr Reeves appears and after talking with Ben, starts drawing up some medication. Mac notices and struggles harder.

‘You’re all in on it with him, aren’t you? This is Murdoc. He’s not going to let you live. Please, let me go’.

Mac spots more nurses coming towards him and kicks out. He’s not going down without a fight. However, he’s concerned that whatever Murdoc has given him has made him weak. He can’t stop them from dragging him to the floor. Suddenly, he’s looking up at the ceiling and he feels a pain in his left arm. He looks across and can see Dr Reeves pulling a needle out. They’ve injected him with something. He continues to struggle but he can’t get free. Everything seems to be going blurry, he closes his eyes, and everything goes black.

**MacJackMacJackMacJackMacJackMacJackMacJackMacJack**

Jack was busy playing on his phone when Mac woke up. He could tell by the tone of Mac’s voice that something was wrong. I mean, why ask him why he’s there? It’s not like he’d be anywhere else when Mac is unwell. Things go from bad to worse when Mac starts to move away from him. Jack doesn’t understand what’s going on until he gets called Murdoc.

Jack swears he stops breathing. Mac’s eyes are huge, the fear obvious. He doesn’t know how to handle this, except by telling Mac the truth and hoping it works. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. Mac hobbles from the room. Jack doesn’t want to run after him and scare him even more. He stays where he is, until he hears voices from the corridor. The cavalry, he hopes.

As Jack comes out of Mac’s room, Mac is shouting something about Murdoc at Ben. Ben looks as equally confused as Jack is. However, he knows something isn’t right with Mac and motions for a colleague to come and help, after Mac yanks his arm away. Dr Reeves appears, and Ben quietly explains that Mac thinks Jack is Murdoc. He thinks Mac might be hallucinating. Dr Reeves agrees and knows they have no option but to sedate Mac. He’s already made it clear he won’t stay willingly.

Jack is now sat back in the chair next to Mac. After the staff sedated him, they brought him back to bed. Ben cleaned up Mac’s arm where he had pulled his IV out and placed a new one. All of the monitoring equipment is back in place, as are the ice packs and cooling blanket. Much to Jack’s chagrin, restrains are now also visible. He knows it’s the right thing to do after Mac’s hallucination, but he hates seeing his boy tied up.

Thankfully, Mac’s temperature is slowly coming down and Dr Reeves has lifted the sedation, so Jack is back on his phone, waiting for Mac to wake up.

It’s a little while later, that Jack notices Mac’s hand twitching under the blanket. He stands and puts his hand in Mac’s, squeezing gently.

‘Hey Hoss, you back with us?’ Jack asks quietly.

Mac frowns before he slowly opens his eyes.

‘J..ck?’ Mac croaks.

Jack leans over to grab some water.

‘Here, drink some of this kiddo’.

There’s a moment when Mac goes to take the beaker from Jack and realises, he can’t. His heart rate picks up and he starts to pull against the restraints.

‘Woah, buddy. Calm down. Calm down now. You’re ok’. Jack lays his hands on Mac’s shoulders. Mac continues to struggle for a few moments, before realising he is stuck. He looks up at Jack for an explanation.

‘Your fever got really bad. I had to bring you in, you were pretty much unconscious. Unfortunately, you hallucinated. You thought I was Murdoc’. Jack explains.

Mac looks wide eyed at him and then pointedly tugs the restraints again.

‘Off now?’ Mac croaks.

‘Alright. Let me get Dr Reeves and we can ask’, Jack reassures him. ‘I’m glad you don’t think I’m Murdoc any longer’, he adds with a smile.


End file.
